The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-07-09

q AaNOIlUo Guouo Ills bI6dILuoub VI IL
had none of the material horrors of
preaching on the subject half century
ago, as we have seen, but he had accept
ed itas true, and had therefore defended
it on all legitimate occasions. Now
however, he was suddenly confronted
by considerations which had not before
been presented to him, at least not with
marked emphasis these considerations
seemed to startle him; he was moved
Intellectually as never before in his life,
and he Immediately began an independ-
ent investigation, as unprejudiced as it
was fearless. For several months this
investigation went on with no other
book than the Bible, and with no other
thought than his own. The result was
a manuscript volume Of some three
hundred pages, Hell not Eternal"
In the preface he says 1.-THE writer
of this book has been uninterruptedly
engaged for more than twenty years in
the work Of the Christian pastorate in
an orthodox church. Until lately he
has accepted as true the common doc
trines of limited probation and the end
less punishment of the wicked. He has
never read work or heard discourse
opposed to these ideas but through
supernatural influences and thorough
and independent examination of the
Scriptures, he has become fully con-
WINGED that Jesus Christ is Gods pledge
to this world of the final salvation of
every human being. The doctrine of
the endless punishment Of souls in a
hopeless prison house, can give no pleas
ure to any right-minded individual, nor
have theologians ever succeeded in rec
onciling it with the infinite love and
universal Fatherhood of God, as associ-
ated with the supremacy of the divine
will. 1t is difficult to believe that God
cannot accomplish eventually the sal
walton of all men if he so wills it, and
it is equally difficult to believe that his
to will.'
In stating the cause of so radical a
change, he said in this preface, as
above, ''but through supernatural influ-
ences." This sentence was originally
written, ''but solely through supernat-
ural influences" and the word, "solely"
was erased. The word may have been
stricken out as surplusage; but it is
probable that the following circum-
stance afforded the first occasion for the
thorough and independent examine
ton of the Scriptures" which he con-
nected with 'the supernatural influ-
ences." He was man of singular re-
ligious faith, and may have felt that
the occasion was superintendent by
divine wisdom.
At this time I spent some time at
Bay View, and conversation frequently
turned upon religious subjects. In one
of these he mentioned the name of a
member of the church who was then
somewhat delinquent in his Christian
duties. The pastor had learned that
this man did not believe in endless pun
ishment, and in the course of one of
these conversations he criticised this
'theresy," declaring that a man "wrong
in his head was apt to be wrong at
heart" L then sympathised with the
backslider in his faith, and expressed
as much. And what do you believe :?
he demanded. The answer was hope
that at some distant period in the
course of life there would come the
lawful rose of dawn, "when the heavens
of all being should be glorious with the
great light of perfect love and happi-
ness, and the whole universe of God
should be ruled only by goodness, with
out the "smell Of fire" or the shadow of
remembered evil upon it. He listened
to the close, and then sadly, but en-
phatically exclaimed, you'll lose your
soul! !" Motley's story came to mind.
The pagan Radbod, when about to be
baptized by bishop of Charles Martel
of France, demanded "Where are my
dead forefathers at present ?" Gin
hell, with all other unbelievers,n said
the bishop. "Very well" retorted the
heather; "Then I will rather feast
with my ancestors in the halls of Wooden
than dwell with your little band of
starveling Christians in heaven" 1t
was not the belief that was wrong, for
it was not a nationally grounded belief;
it was the hope, and l declared that if
the hope was to shut out salvation, I
could not help it. He merely shrugged
his shoulders, and left the room.
The difficulty then most insurmount-
able, and which was brought out during
subsequent conversations, was the ap-
parent unphilosophical nature of doc
trine which postulated the eternal CO.
existence of two principles totally an
tagonistic in character and operation
good and evil; for it seemed that Christ
ian philosophy must finally arrive at
the perfect victory of the one over the
other. This victory must be philosoph-
ical rather than merely mechanical or
arbitrary, and that proposition could
only be satisfied in any real sense by the
complete humiliation OF evil. More